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Owner/Broker Rick Andrews
Century 21 Scenic Realty
t. 828 557 9139
toll 800 977 4981
Short Sale vs. Foreclosure
The following is the most recent report from CDPE. As the housing crisis in this country began to ramp up in 2007, real estate "experts" popped up everywhere. On cable news and in newspapers, these experts were sharing their opinions about the best solutions for people who were in danger of losing their home to foreclosure. Often, these expert opinions directly contradicted one another. Worse yet, many times these experts were just flat out wrong. Among the most common, and the...Continue Reading!
First Things to Do After Buying a New Home
You closed on your new property. The boxes are off of the moving truck, the furniture is in the right rooms and you are wondering what to do first. Here is a checklist of important tasks that are high priority. Test the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Install new alarms or change the batteries if necessary. Establish as escape plan and safe meeting place with your family in the event of a fire. Make sure you know where the main water, gas and electrical...Continue Reading!
Why Home Buyers and Sellers Should Work with a Real Estate Agent
While it can be tempting to go it alone when buying or selling a home, the vast majority of real estate consumers ultimately recognize the many benefits of working with a professional real estate agent. According to Lexington, Mass.-based REALTOR® Kristin Brown Orr, while it may initially seem appealing to save some money, pursuing a real estate transaction without the assistance of an experienced real estate professional could actually end up costing you money…and causing lots of unnecessary stress. Orr offers...Continue Reading!
Home Prices Continue to Rise
Data through May 2012, released by S&P Dow Jones Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, showed that average home prices increased by 2.2 percent in May over April for both the 10- and 20-City Composites. With May's data, we found that home prices fell annually by 1.0 percent for the 10-City Composite and by 0.7 percent for the 20-City Composite versus May 2011. Both Composites and 17 of the 20 MSAs saw increases...Continue Reading!
Tips to Sell Your House in the Summer
Summer is often considered a challenging time to sell your home due to family vacations, childcare constraints and summer activities. While it may be more of a challenge or inconvenience to market your property during this season, it is not impossible. Here are some ideas to attract summer buyers. Maintain your lawn. Focus on curb appeal and take advantage of the season. Mow your lawn often and ensure all sprinklers are working. Cultivate the landscape. Trim bushes, hedges and trees, spread mulch,...Continue Reading!
The More You Know: Top 4 Tips for Home Sellers
Tip 1: In strong markets, where demand outstrips supply, home sellers can hold out for top dollar. In weak markets the reverse is true—there are many homes on the market and unless you price your home very competitively you'll be very unlikely to attract any buyers. Whatever the current market conditions you will be most likely to get the highest possible price if you are willing to take the time to understand each of the components of a successful home sales...Continue Reading!
Is Your Real Estate Agent in Tune With the Times?
No matter what business you're in, times have changed. Thanks to the Internet and a challenging economy, consumers are savvier and more demanding than ever. Real estate is no exception. When it comes to making one of the biggest decisions of your life-buying or selling a home-you need to work with a real estate professional who is up to the task and armed with the latest strategies for ensuring the optimal result from your real estate transaction. Any real estate agent you're...Continue Reading!
Sadly the 62nd Georgia Mountain Fair has Come and Gone
If you didn't make it to this year's Georgia Mountain Fair you missed it. Here are a few pictures. Continue Reading!
Mortgage Basics: Understanding the Lingo
By Barbara Pronin, RISMedia Columnist With home prices languishing, and mortgage interest rates still at historic lows, this may be the year you will want to buy your first home. But getting a mortgage can be a daunting process, especially if the terms associated with getting a loan are new to your vocabulary. From mortgage broker Ken Go, here are some basic terms to know as you move toward becoming a homeowner: Underwriting this is the process lenders use to decide if they...Continue Reading!
Simple Tips for Home Concrete Care
A few hours of work now could save homeowners hundreds of dollars-or more-in costly concrete repairs come spring. Freezing rain, ice, snow and deicers, as well as freeze/thaw temperature cycles have the potential to wreak havoc on concrete surfaces if left unchecked. Not only does the saturation and freezing of concrete surfaces accelerate crack expansion and surface deterioration, but the spreading of deicing salts also causes severe damage to the aesthetic and structural integrity of unprotected concrete. Precautionary measures such as repairing...Continue Reading!
